6.  The applicant was born in 1957 and is resident in Plymouth.
7.  The applicant cohabited with S. (the “mother”), who had two children from other relationships: AD born in 1985 and A. born in 1993. A.'s father had died and the applicant always treated her as if she was his natural child. He and the mother had two children together: N. born in 1994 and Z. born in 1998.
8.  The family had a long history of social work involvement from 1995. These concerns centred on the mother's mental health (she was diagnosed as having a bipolar disorder), the chaotic, disorganised state of the home; the parents' inability adequately to provide consistent care in light of these factors; and the parents' inability to co-operate with professionals.
9.  On 23 January 1998, CCC the local authority obtained Interim Care Orders in respect of A. and N.
10.  In March 1999, the hearing on the final care order application took place. On the first day, the parties reached agreement. “Amended Threshold Criteria” were admitted by the parents as providing the necessary basis in domestic law for implementing care measures to protect the children from harm. The Care Plan was amended. The children were to remain at home, with provision of considerable support e.g. social workers to visit the family twice weekly to work on parenting issues and support children; family aide to visit weekly to take out A. and N.; community psychiatric nurse to visit twice weekly; local authority to assist with transport to school.
11.  On 8 March 1999, Care Orders were made in respect of A., N. and Z.
12.  On 9 July 2001, the mother and children were recorded as being provided with emergency bed and breakfast following a domestic violence incident.
13.  On 8 November 2001, the children were removed.
14.  On 17 April 2002, the Adoption Panel recommended adoption as being in the children's best interests.
15.  On 24 September 2002, the applicant made application under the Human Rights Act 1998 seeking the children's return home.
16.  The local authority made application for orders to free the children for adoption. It claimed that it had found prospective adopters approved by the Adoption Panel on 1 May 2002.
17.  On 29 November 2002, after an eight-day hearing, the High Court dismissed the application for discharge of the Care Orders, dismissed the applicant's application under the Human Rights Act 1998 and granted the local authority the power to terminate contact with the applicant. It also granted the applications to free the children for adoption.
18.  The judge refused leave to appeal. On 5 December 2002, the applicant's renewed application to the Court of Appeal was refused.
19.  The parents were told that the children were introduced to the prospective adopters on 7 December 2002 and placed in the adoptive home on 20 December 2002.
20.  On 18 December 2002, the applicant and the mother separated.
21.  On 5 March 2003, the local authority informed the applicant that the placement broke down on 15 January 2003. The children were transferred to new foster carers.
22.  On 8 July 2003, the High Court granted permission to the guardian to apply for a parenting assessment of the applicant and the mother to be undertaken by an independent social worker, Ms T.
23.  On 24 September 2003, Ms T. reported to the court, recommending contact between the children and both parents.
24.  On 10 November 2003, the applicant was granted permission to apply for contact.
25.  On 1 December 2003, the applicant issued an application to revoke the freeing orders, as one year had now expired from the date the orders were made and such application was now possible.
26.  On 12 December 2003, the court ordered direct contact to take place on three occasions. The applicant was granted permission to apply for residence orders.
27.  On 17 December 2003, the first contact visit took place.
28.  On 8 June 2004, the High Court judge ruled on outstanding applications. The orders freeing for adoption were revoked by consent and an interim care order was made in favour of the local authority with a care plan reuniting the applicant and the children.